


Learning to Love

by gregknowshisshit



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Cute, Defensive Danny, Developing Friendships, Friends to Lovers, Gen, High School, Jock Danny, M/M, Nerd Steve, Protective Danny "Danno" Williams, Teen Angst, Teenage Drama, Vulnerable Steve McGarrett
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2018-12-25 02:16:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12025995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gregknowshisshit/pseuds/gregknowshisshit
Summary: High School AU.Danny Williams just moved to Hawaii from New Jersey, and so far, he hates it. The other jocks are idiots and he's been in no end of fights since he arrived. But when his closest friends Chin and Kono introduce him to a shy, ex-quarterback named Steve McGarrett, he decides that maybe Hawaii is a place he could grow to love.





	1. Fighting for Friendship

**Author's Note:**

> Quick rundown of details for this fic: 
> 
> \- Chin, Kono, Danny and Steve are all the same age. They're all 16 when the story begins, and over the course of the story they'll all turn 17 at some point!  
> \- Steve still wants to join the Navy but as a researcher. Hence all of his books and general interest in education.  
> \- Danny is completely out to his parents, because his family always have a rule to share everything with each other, and really the Williams are a bunch of angels - of COURSE they'd be fine with it! Steve, however, hasn't told any of his family that he's bi, and it means that bullies get away with a lot.  
> FINALLY - Steve's mum's car accident was exactly that. No secret plans or car bombs, she just crashed and passed away, and Steve has had to deal with it mostly alone.
> 
> Okay - Please enjoy ;)

Danny Williams wasn't sure exactly when he'd decided that he hated Hawaii. 

Perhaps it had been on his first day at his new high school, when he'd asked one of the other students for directions to a classroom, and in response had been given a slight glare before the girl uttered a simple, 'no way, haole', and walked away. 

Maybe it had been when he'd been so proud to join the football team just like he had in Jersey, only to realise that his so called 'teammates' were leaving him out of every call, rendering him useless on the field.

But what Danny thought he probably hated the most about the pineapple-infested hellhole that was Hawaii, was how the bullies never seemed to pick on anyone who was capable of fighting back.

Fist fights weren't uncommon in Jersey, and being a football player with a somewhat short fuse when it came to arguments, Danny had been the cause of a fair few of them. However, it came as an unspoken rule that you never planted a hit on anyone not fit to fight back, and you were only to fight in order to defend yourself. Danny had extended the latter rule to include defending others, after all being a future law enforcement officer, he found no issue in readily throwing himself forwards to protect others if he felt they were in danger.

Those rules didn't seem to apply in Hawaii, however, which was why in the 2 weeks that he'd been here, Danny had gotten into exactly 16 fights. All but one of them had been cases of him witnessing his teammates bullying younger kids, two of which had been in wheelchairs, and feeling the overwhelming need to protect them. He had younger siblings himself, and held the mindset that if they were ever in danger, he'd want somebody to step in and help.

The other fight was the only one that Danny had accepted any sort of punishment for, knowing that it hadn't been completely necessary, but he sure got a kick out of initiating it. Football practice had just finished, the whole team now back in the locker rooms and getting ready to head home. Danny had been prepared to remain in his uniform and leave immediately, only stopping to have a short conversation with his only friend on the team, Chin Ho Kelly, before he had overheard his other teammates laughing and throwing around homophobic slurs and he immediately curled his hands into fists.

"Danny, let it go, brah. It's not worth risking your place on the team. They're your teammates, not your friends, you don't have to like them." Chin tried to calm him, thinking he'd gotten through to Danny until he suddenly turned and threw a punch at one of the team, effectively flooring him. He then gave another punch to the guy's face as he attempted to sit up again, before adding in a kick to his groin for good measure. 

"You're right. I don't like them!" Danny called back at Chin, not even turning to look at him, before scooping up his bag and leaving the changing rooms, leaving the shell-shocked team and a slightly smirking Chin in his wake.

That had been a week ago, and while he was fairly sure they now hated him, Danny had found that the rest of the team now never dared to push him, or risk leaving him out of the loop on a game plan. His actions also seemed to have gained him some respect from his fellow peers, particularly the ones less able to stand up to the neanderthals that were the football team, and he found himself becoming fairly popular in classrooms and corridors alike.

He spent all of his free time in the company of Chin and his cousin, Kono Kalakaua, the three of them always sitting in the same spot under a tree just off to the left of the football field.

Chin and Danny were sitting there one day, talking about the practice they'd had that morning and how gruelling it had been, when Danny looked up and saw Kono speaking to a brunette boy who's head was bowed shyly, a stack of books balanced in his arms as he uttered something back to her before heading under the bleachers alone. 

"What's the deal with that guy, K? I never see him with anyone and the only time I ever spoke to him, he looked at me like I was gonna murder him and then ran off."

"His name's Steve. Chin knows his dad, and he's in my chem class. Honestly brah, he's a genius, but he's pretty quiet. I try to check up on him, make sure he's alright, you know? But he sits under there alone all the time." Kono explained sadly, glancing over at the bleachers and seeing the boy sitting there, face shoved in a book as he sat on the floor, back pressed up against the metal supports and knees up at his chest. 

"How's he not on the team? Or at least friends with some of the neanderthals? Guy's built like a truck!" 

"He used to be our star quarterback. He took over all of my records, never let the team lose a game."

"And what? He just quit?!"

"Not exactly. He got pretty close with all the guys, decided it'd be safe to tell one of them that he's into guys. As you can probably imagine, that didn't go down too well. Came in the next week to his locker completely wrecked, and then a few of the guys pretty much beat him within an inch of his life. He missed a month of school, the coach claimed there wasn't enough evidence to prove that it was anyone on the team, and he just handed in his kit and never spoke to any of us again. His dad's a cop, tried to get a case together, but Steve had to stop him. Didn't want his dad finding out what brought it on. He's pretty much been a nervous wreck ever since." Chin told Danny, the blonde boy frowning in concern and looking over at the lonely figure under the bleachers.

"He's gay? That's the reason he's got no friends?"

"Bisexual, actually. But yeah, that's pretty much the bulk of it." 

"Screw that." Danny huffed out, shaking his head in annoyance and immediately standing up and heading over to the bleachers, ignoring Chin and Kono's shouts from behind him.

Danny strode over to Steve, standing in front of the boy who nervously looked up from his book as the light was blocked.

"You know, there's not many things I like about Hawaii, but the sun sure is one of them. If I were you, I sure wouldn't be wasting a beautiful day like this hiding in the shade. How about you come sit with us instead?" He asked outright, extending a hand out to Steve to help the boy up before he had even given him a chance to answer. 

Steve only stared at the outstretched hand unsurely for a moment, before glancing over at where Chin and Kono were sat, the girl waving at him a little and both of them offering smiles. He reached up, allowing Danny to take the brunt of his weight as he all but dragged him from the floor, almost sending him flying back down in the other direction with the sheer force of it. Danny then picked up Steve's pile of books, heading back over to where he had been sat just a moment earlier, leaving Steve gaping confusedly after him for a moment before following him in a slight run. 

The two of them sat on the ground in front of Kono and Chin, and Danny carefully put Steve's books down in a pile before grabbing his own bag and pulling a box from it.

"Hope none of you are allergic to chocolate. Ma made cookies. I swear, she's playing a game seeing how fast she can use every tool in the new kitchen." Danny rolled his eyes, opening the lid of the box and putting it in the middle of them all.

Kono and Chin's hands immediately flew to the box, each of them grabbing two cookies and biting into them with groans of happiness. Steve sat back however, staring longingly at box, particularly as Chin let out a groan of, 'Holy shit, Danny! These are the best cookies ever!', but not risking extending his hand to take one of the cookies himself.

Danny noticed his hesitation, and so took one of the cookies out of the box himself and held it in front of Steve's face.

"Ma will never trust you if she ever finds out you didn't try one of her famous cookies." He said matter-of-factly, raising an eyebrow to Steve, his plan apparently working as he took the cookie in his hand with a small 'thank you'.

Steve took a small bite of the treat, Danny's face lighting up in a grin as Steve smiled a little at him before going in for another bite.

And Danny Williams decided in that moment that, despite the idiot jocks and frequent fighting, if he could make Steve McGarrett smile like that every day, then maybe he could learn not to hate Hawaii so much after all.


	2. An Unexpected Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny finds his place on the football team in jeopardy. Steve offers to help the best way he knows.

Steve widened his eyes a little and pressed himself further into his chair as Danny suddenly stormed into their biology classroom, throwing his bag down and kicking the leg of the table hard, making Steve jump at the sudden outburst of anger.

It had been three days since Danny had all but dragged Steve into their rag-tag group of friends, and so far they'd spent every lunch time and free period they had together. 

Steve had still barely said a word, only laughing lightly at jokes told by the others, and sitting listening passively to the stories that they shared about various bits of school gossip, even if he wasn't entirely sure who they were talking about. 

Danny still knew as much about the boy as he had done days earlier, never feeling the need to push for further information as he found himself happy enough just seeing Steve looking content at being around himself and the cousins. 

Danny had also been trying to hold his temper more around Steve, noting how it seemed to frighten the jumpy boy. Until today that was. 

"This school is a fucking joke!" Danny yelled, throwing himself into his chair, only making Steve lean further away from him as he continued his rant, punctuating each word with another kick to the table.

"Coach bends over backwards to keep those idiot, dickhead, asswipes on the team but if I don't pass chem and bio this term then I'm off? Does he think I'm fucking stupid? Like I don't know that all the other players are failing all of their classes but he keeps them on anyway?!"

Danny continued on like that for a few more minutes, Steve staying completely silent and still as he let his friend get it all out, until Danny eventually took a couple of deep, calming breaths and finally looked up at Steve.

"Sorry. I'm just- It isn't fair." He sighed shaking his head, the worried look on Steve's face being enough to convince him to push his anger aside, at least until he was out of the shy boy's presence. Steve answered him with a simple, understanding nod, Danny taking it as an invite to continue on with his now-calmer ranting.

"I try so damn hard to please everyone. I help my ma and dad with looking after the rest of my family, I train whenever I can to make sure I'm a good player for the team, and I work my ass off in all of my classes to make sure I do well. I try to do everything right. Everything! And nobody cares about any of that, they just focus on what I do wrong. Makes me feel like shit all the damn time."

Steve frowned sadly at Danny as the boy opened up to him, not entirely sure what to do, before he looked down at his own workbook and an idea popped into his head.

"I could tutor you?" He offered up, the thought coming from his mouth so suddenly that he surprised himself, apparently shocking Danny a little as well as he looked back at Steve with slightly wide eyes.

"Are you serious?"

"I mean- You don't have to. It was just a thought. It's just- You- I'm good. I-I like science a lot." Steve stuttered shyly once again, bowing his head a little nervously and missing as Danny's face suddenly spread into a wide grin.

"Oh my god, Steve, that would be amazing! Thank you so much!" Danny practically yelped, before pulling Steve against him in a tight hug, surprising the slightly taller boy who ended up crushed against Danny's chest, but smiling slightly.

They pulled apart as their teacher entered and started the lesson, Danny being thankful that it was their only class that had no other athletes in the room so he and Steve were able to talk and sit next to each other without Danny having to sit ready and waiting for a fight.

The lesson went by quickly, Steve hanging on their teacher's every word, taking notes of everything that she recited to them, while Danny sat staring confusedly at her seemingly endless diagrams, glancing over at Steve and wondering how his friend managed to take it all in.

They left the classroom together, heading to the football field to meet Kono and Chin in their usual spot for lunch, when Danny pulled a pad of paper from his bag, jotting something down on one of the pages before tearing it out and handing it over to Steve.

"That's my address. Come round any time tonight after practice - Ma always makes too much dinner for our family so one more won't hurt. Bring your notes and we'll do some work, and I'll drive you back home whenever you want." He explained, grinning once again as Steve nodded, carefully folding the note and zipping it into the front pocket of his bag as if it was the most precious cargo in the world.

After the group had eaten lunch together, they all went their separate ways, Danny and Chin heading to practice, while Kono went to maths and Steve opted to spend his final free period in the library, reading up further about some of the things they had covered in their science lesson. 

Danny couldn't help but grin to himself, laughing lightly as for the first time in his life, he found himself distracted from playing football, and instead looking forward to studying for his next chemistry test.


	3. Meet the Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve arrives at the Williams' for his and Danny's first study session.

Danny was in the kitchen helping his mother with making dinner when the doorbell rang and he ran to the front door, swinging it open to find Steve standing there, books piled high in his arms.

"Jesus, Steve. I said bring notes, not the whole library." Danny joked lightly, immediately leaning over to take the whole pile from Steve, turning and placing the books on a small table to his right before facing Steve again and finding him barely containing a laugh behind his hand as Danny dragged him inside the house.

"What? I know I'm hilarious, but I usually at least have to be trying." 

"Your- You've got- Your face." Steve gasped out through his laughter, unable to hold it back any longer as he raised a hand to point at the mirror beside him. 

Danny turned to look at it confusedly, and scowled a little as he realised that he had a combination of flour and pasta sauce coating most of his face as a result of making pizza with his mom.

"Ma! What'd I say about telling me when I've got half the ingredients on my face instead of the pizza?!" Danny yelled through to his mother, although he was smiling fondly at Steve as the boy tried to compose himself but began giggling again every time he looked back up at Danny.

"Hey big bro, it ain't ma's fault you were born so ugly. Maybe if you got the looks she wouldn't feel the need to give you the tomato makeover." Danny's younger brother Matt then piped up, coming bolting down the stairs with a smirk on his face, throwing a towel at Danny which the elder brother immediately used to wipe off his face.

"Well, I'll happily pass on the looks if it means having an IQ above 3, Matty!" Danny shot back, rolling his eyes as he heard a simple yell of, 'Whatever, shortass!' being yelled back in his direction, followed by a cry of 'Language!' from his mother.

"How is it that my 13 year old brother is already calling me shortass? That's not fair, right? I swear he's had more growth spurts in the past month than I've had in my entire life." Danny huffed out, turning his attention back to Steve as he closed the door behind him.

"Come on, I promised Ma that I'd lay the table tonight. You can come and meet my more bearable siblings." 

Steve only nodded in response, toeing off his shoes and leaving them neatly by the door, before following Danny into his family's living room, where on the sofa there was a young girl, no older than the age of five, alongside a girl who looked a similar age to the two boys.

"Steve, this is Bridget and Stella. Bee, Stell, this is Steve, he's the friend I was telling you about." Danny introduced them all to each other, Stella shooting Steve a wave and a warm smile, while little Bridget hopped up from the sofa and wrapped her arms around Steve's legs in a hug.

"Bee, are you gonna come help me set the table with Matty?" Danny asked his youngest sibling, crouching to her level and grinning as she nodded, ran over, and threw herself into his waiting arms, him standing up and carrying her into the next room with ease, Steve trailing behind them.

They walked into the kitchen, Steve finding himself having to take a step back again as in they entered the chaos of the undersized room.

Danny's mother was stirring something on the stove, leaning over to one side and trying to prepare a salad at the same time, while his father danced around her, pulling two large pizzas from the oven in front of her, and balancing them precariously on his hands. Danny slid between them both easily in order to reach the cutlery drawer, grabbing a knife and fork for each of them along with a stack of plastic cups from a cupboard behind him, Matt having already retrieved the coasters and plates.

They made fairly quick work of setting the table, even with Danny handing the items to Bridget one by one in order to allow her to place them down on the table, before Danny's dad put the two huge pizzas down in the centre of the table, and his mom brought through the salad, getting an eyeroll from his dad.

"Clara, when are you gonna realise that not every meal needs to be served with vegetables?"

"Watch your mouth, Eddie, or you'll get nothing. Oh, Danny sweetie, could you go and tell Stella to come through please?" Clara responded, swatting her husband lightly with one of the salad spoons, before turning to Danny with a sweet smile.

"Sure, Ma. This is Steve, by the way. The friend I was telling you about, he's gonna help me get my grades up to stay on the team. Steve, these are my parents, Clara and Eddie. Sit anywhere, I'll be back in a minute." 

Sure enough, Danny exited the room, putting Bridget down before he did so, and returned a minute later with his elder sister in tow. Steve slid into the middle seat on one side of the table, Danny sitting beside him with a smile, while little Bridget clambered up into the seat on his other side. 

Everyone settled down after that, the whirlwind activities disappearing as the large family sat down for dinner together, Danny instinctively putting food on Steve's plate before filling his own, already aware of Steve's nervousness in the situation.

"Steve, honey, thank you so much for offering to help Danny with his work. Anyone helping out our baby boy is a welcome guest in our home." Clara practically cooed across the table, looking at Steve with a barely-compressed grin while Danny rolled his eyes and took a large bite of his pizza.

"It's my pleasure, ma'am." Steve replied politely with a slight nod to her, making her practically squeal with delight, while all of the Williams kids groaned and rolled their eyes a little. 

"Nobody cares about Danny's grades, Ma. You got a girlfriend, Steve? The chicks here are hot! Every one of them would be like a solid 9 back in Jersey." Matt butted into the conversation, making Clara frown and clip the back of his ear with her hand.

"Matty..." Danny sighed, sounding slightly exasperated with his brother, while Steve only laughed and shook his head no.

"Ayy, Danny boy, maybe you've got a chance with this one!" Stella teased, gaining a look from Danny that Steve was sure could kill a person if he tried hard enough. 

"She's right, sweetie! Maybe you two could hit it off!" 

"Ma! You're as bad as those two!" Danny whined, hiding his face in his hands as he blushed furiously.

"I'm just saying, a nice boy like Steve would be a welcome change from some of the schmucks you got with back in Jersey." 

"Your mother's right, kiddo. You ever bring home anyone like that MacKensie boy ever again, I'll drag them out the door myself." Eddie spoke up, getting nods and grunts of agreement from everyone else at the table, except Danny who glared at his father.

"Well, thanks for that dad. I have the courage to bring my first boyfriend home and now you tell me you'd rather I didn't. Great. Brilliant."

"Hey, don't take that tone with your father. You know we're proud of you, honey, we just want to make sure you're safe and happy." Clara frowned at her eldest son, effectively calming Danny down as he huffed out a breath and slumped back into his chair, his defensive attitude fading away.

"I know, Ma. I'm sorry dad. Can we just drop it, please? Steve is my friend, I doubt he wants to sit here listening to us bite each other's heads off." 

To Danny's delight, his mother simply nodded and changed the subject, asking Matt and Stella about their days, while Bridget babbled on at Steve about all kinds of nonsense, the brunette boy laughing and joking with her quietly.

When dinner was finished, Danny helped his parents to clean up the kitchen and table, before telling them that he and Steve were going to study and heading off up the stairs. He rushed Steve into his bedroom, closing the door firmly before leaning back against it and letting out a relieved sigh into the silent room, making Steve laugh.

"Sorry, we're a bit of a mad house sometimes. I know it can be a little full on." Danny smiled over at him, Steve only laughing again and shaking his head.

"I liked it. Your family are nice." 

"Yeah, I'm happy to have them. Even if they're the most embarrassing people in the world sometimes. I love them all." 

"Can I- Uh- A-Ask you something?" Steve asked shyly, Danny nodding but raising an eyebrow at Steve in question at his friend's suddenly shaky voice.

"Are you gay? I-It's just your mom said- I don't mean to be rude I just- I don't know, it's stupid, I'm sorry."

"Hey, no, it's alright. We're friends, right? You can ask me anything." Danny reassured Steve before continuing. 

"I'm not gay, I'm not really sure what I am yet. Probably bi. I've had girlfriends and boyfriends, none of them have really been serious though. I'm still figuring stuff out." 

"How did you- Were they mad? Wh-When you told them?"

"My parents?" Danny asked, getting a small nod in response from Steve.

"They weren't mad. A little shocked, I don't think they were really expecting me to be anything other than straight as an arrow, but they took it well." 

"You're lucky to have them. I wish my family were more like yours." Steve sighed quietly, sitting next to Danny on his bed as the blonde boy patted the spot beside him on the sheets.

"Every family is different, but usually it's just a case of getting used to what you've got. I'll bet your parents have their own way of being there for you, it's just not as in your face as my ma and dad are." Danny tried to reassure him, bumping their shoulders together with a smile.

"Dad's great but he just- He doesn't get it, you know? I can't open up to him about anything. And Mary's too young to understand anything that's going on."

"What about your ma? I'm sure she'd be there at the drop of a hat if she knew you needed her."

"She- Uh- She died. Five months ago. In a car accident." Steve told Danny quietly after a moment's silence, not meeting Danny's eyes as the other boy looked across at him.

"Shit, Steve. I'm so sorry, I had no idea. Me and my stupid big mouth. Are you okay?" Danny rushed out, reaching over to put an arm around Steve when he nodded in response to the question, but a few tears rolled down his cheeks nonetheless.

"Listen, Steve. I know I haven't known you long, and hell, after that performance at dinner you might run from here screaming and never speak to me again." Danny started, a small smile gracing his face as Steve let out a tearful chuckle.

"But I'm right here for you. I really like having you around, and I don't want you feeling like you have to be completely on your own anymore. My folks love you, Bee likes her new playmate, and I love having you around. You're welcome here any time. Don't be scared to ask me for anything, okay?" 

"Okay. Thank you." 

"No problem. Now come on, Ma's said I'm not allowed any dessert until we've done some work, and I know for a fact that she's made brownies." Danny grinned, hauling his school bag up from the floor and grabbing his book from it, while Steve wiped his face and picked up one of the books that he had brought to the house. 

The two of them spent the next four hours together, Steve taking his time to explain everything to Danny in great detail, and suggesting they take a small break each time that Danny began getting frustrated at the work. 

It wasn't until almost 10pm that Danny drove Steve home, his mom insisting that they send the boy away with his weight in baked goods, and Steve not complaining as she thrust the large plastic container into his hands and wrapped her arms around him tightly in a hug.

"I'm expecting to see you here again soon, sweetie."

"I'll try my best, ma'am. Thank you again for having me." Steve smiled back, glancing over at Danny with a grin, the two of them already silently agreeing that Steve would definitely be coming over a lot more in the future.


	4. Invitation for Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny Williams hates parties. But that doesn't mean he can't invite his friends to one.

Danny Williams hated parties. It was a fact that he didn't keep a secret, openly speaking out about his dislike of the events, much like he did about the whole other list of things that he didn't enjoy. 

And so when a girl in his economics class had invited him to a house party the following weekend, it was a complete surprise to both himself and Chin sitting beside him when he agreed to attend, a wide smile spreading across his face.

Because you see, as much as Danny Williams hated parties, he loved any opportunity to spend time with his friends without the looming pressures of school, or big games, or family drama hanging over their shoulders. 

That, and the fact that he was fairly certain that a drunk Steve McGarrett would just about be the most hilariously adorable sight in the world.

It had been two weeks since Danny and Steve's first tutoring session together, and the pair had met up after school almost every day since for at least a couple of hours, Danny's mother practically cooing over Steve every time the boy had returned to their home.

Steve was opening up slowly but surely, still cripplingly nervous in any large social situations, but finally seeming completely calm whenever he was in the presence of Danny, Chin, Kono, or the Williams' alone.

So Danny had roped all four of them into going to the party, volunteering himself as designated driver for the night, dressing himself casually in a pair of blue jeans and a tight, white t-shirt before heading out to pick up his friends.

When they arrived, Danny made his way round the room talking to everyone that he knew, Chin and Kono separating and speaking to their own friends, while Steve stuck to Danny like glue, following him around the room silently, nervously sipping from the drink that somebody had thrust into his hands.

After only about 10 minutes of being there, Steve found that he had already downed two drinks through his nervousness, and he went in for another, already feeling his anxiety leaving him a little as the alcohol clouded his vision.

"You should probably have some food if you're gonna have another." A girl told Steve after he finished his third drink, holding out a plate of brownies to him with a slight smirk on her face. 

Unfortunately for Steve, he missed the small laugh that she let out as he nodded and took four of the brownies from the plate, eating them in quick succession and uttering a small thank you before turning back to Danny with a new drink.

"God Steve, you trying to drink away any memory of tonight before it's even started?" Danny laughed as he turned from his conversation and found Steve gulping from yet another cup.

He received a nervous shake of the head in response from Steve, who blushed a little and looked down at the ground, lowering the cup that he was holding.

"Hey, it's alright. I was only joking. Come on, let's go find somewhere more quiet. I saw a few of the dicks from the team coming in, it's better off we don't bump into any of them. Especially not outside of school." Danny suggested, smiling as Steve nodded and followed him, discarding the drink he was currently holding as they left the busiest part of the house.

They bumped into Chin on the way, the boy stealing a bowl of chips from the table of food set out before coming to join them. The three of them found a small section of the garden that was completely empty, everyone else staying close to the house, and the small group sat down on the slightly damp grass together.

"Don't even know why I bothered coming tonight. It's all fun and games until the team get each other all riled up and start a fight. Fuckin' assholes." Danny grumbled as he looked up at the house and saw a group of jocks drinking and laughing loudly together on the patio.

"We can have a good time though. You've gotta stop letting them ruin all of the good stuff going on in your life, brah. You're so worked up over helping everyone else that you're letting yourself feel like shit." Chin sighed, looking across at Danny who glanced over at Steve, the two of them staring blankly at each other for a moment before they both burst out laughing.

"Okay, as much as I appreciate it, when the hell did you become Dr Phil?" Danny asked through his laughs, only starting to laugh harder again every time he heard one of Steve's adorable giggles.

"You two are massive children, you know that right?" Chin rolled his eyes, taking a sip of the beer in his hand while Steve and Danny only continued to laugh together.

The three of them sat there for about an hour just chatting and laughing about anything that came up, the alcohol apparently beginning to hit Steve as he chatted easily with Danny and Chin, getting louder and more confident the longer they sat there.

Danny only became concerned when Steve suddenly fell backwards onto the ground, lying with his arms spread out around him and a wide grin plastered on his face. Danny and Chin immediately crawled over to him, leaning over his body and staring at him in concern.

"Steve, are you okay?! Can you hear me?" Danny rushed out, only becoming more worried as a small laugh bubbled out of Steve and he tried to pull Danny down beside him.

"The grass feels nice, Danny." Steve drawled out, smiling toothily up at the blonde.

Danny ignored his friend's soft laughter, instead focussing on checking Steve's pulse. Feeling it beating hard and fast against the pad of his fingers, Danny frowned and looked up at Steve's face again, noting his bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils staring back.

"Shit, Chin. He's fucking stoned out of his mind!"

"How the hell is he stoned, D? You've been with him the whole time." Chin replied shaking his head, although the two of them were interrupted as Steve once again tried to pull them down next to him.

"Danny... Come lie with me!"

"Steve, can you tell me what you drank tonight?" Danny tried asking him firmly, however Steve furrowed his eyebrows and stuck his tongue out at Danny.

"Okay, okay. No need for that, buddy. Can you just tell me what you drank, please? Then I pinky promise that I'll lie with you. That sound good?" Danny smiled down at Steve, his tactics apparently working this time around as Steve's goofy grin reappeared and he nodded.

"I just had three beers, Danny. Pinky promise."

"You pinky promise? Well I can't argue with that now, can I? Did you eat anything since you got here? Or did anyone try to give you anything?"

"I ate some brownies. They were yummy." Steve grinned, and Danny sighed, looking up and sharing a frustrated look with Chin.

"Pot brownies. Someone gave him fucking pot brownies?!" 

"Calm down, Danny. They're not gonna kill him." Chin spoke evenly, as Danny shook his head and curled his hands into fists.

"No, you're right Chin, they won't. But his police officer father might if I take him home completely off his head!" Chin couldn't argue with that, and so Danny went to stand up and head to the house before a loud whine from Steve halted him in his tracks.

"Danny-yyyy! No! You pinky promised you'd stay!" 

"I'll be back, I promise. Just gotta go and sort a few things out first, alright?"

"No! Please stay? Pretty please?" Steve begged, blinking his large, teary eyes up at Danny and sticking his bottom lip out in a pout.

"Fine. I'll stay." Danny agreed after a moment with a slight huff, not finding himself able to say no to the puppy dog face that Steve was shooting him. 

He walked back to where Steve and Chin were still sitting on the floor, kneeling beside them for a moment before lying down alongside Steve, smiling as the taller boy curled into his side immediately.

"I'm gonna go and find Kono. We can all start heading home." Chin informed Danny, getting a small nod before he walked off in search of his cousin, leaving the other two alone on the grass.

"What are you giggling at?" Danny asked with a smirk as Steve pressed his face into Danny's side and started laughing.

"If you say Danny and then say no really fast it- it sounds like Danno. Danno sounds funny. Can I call you Danno?" 

"You can call me whatever you want to, babe." Danny smiled back, the pet name falling easily from his lips as he was aware that Steve would most likely forget their entire encounter by the time morning rolled around.

"Forever and ever? Even when you're mad?"

"Forever and ever, Steve. I promise."

"Danno?"

"Yeah, Steve?" 

"Do you love me?" Steve asked quietly, Danny hesitating for a moment in order to glance down at Steve, finding him still gazing up at the sky above them, before answering.

"Sure I do, buddy. You're one of my best friends, of course I love you." 

"Are you gonna leave me?" Steve asked again, except Danny frowned and immediately curled an arm around Steve's shoulders as he heard the boy's breath hitch and felt tears begin to wet his shirt.

"Hey, of course not. It's alright, there's no need to get upset. Why would you even think that?"

"Ev-Everyone who's supposed to love me always- a-always leaves. I d-don't want you to leave me, Danno." Steve sobbed, clutching onto Danny as though his life depended on it, trying desperately to catch his breath while Danny just held him close.

"M-My friends all- Th-They all left. My dad- M-My dad is never home and I- H-He doesn't want me or Mary around. A-And my mom, she- Sh-She crashed her c-car just to get away from us. Ev-Everybody hates me, Danno."

"Babe, listen to me. Your mom leaving was an accident. She loved you, and your dad loves you too, and you've done nothing wrong. Nobody hates you, babe, I promise. I love you, I'm right here, and I'm staying. It's alright, come here. You're safe, I'm not leaving you." Danny soothed, sitting up and pulling Steve's body against his own, holding the brunette as he choked out heaving sobs into Danny's stomach for what felt like an eternity. 

He bent down and pressed a soft kiss to Steve's forehead as the boy's sobs tapered off into sniffles and quiet, hitching breaths just as Chin and Kono were emerging from the house. 

"Come on, babe. I think it's time for you to get some sleep. That sound good, buddy?" Danny asked Steve gently, ignoring Chin and Kono's concerned glances as Steve sat up wiping his eyes, still keeping himself pressed closely to Danny's side as he nodded weakly.

"Don't wanna go h-home, Danno."

"You don't wanna go home?" Danny repeated as he helped an extremely wobbly Steve up from the ground, getting another shake of the boy's head in response.

"Okay, well how about you come and spend the night at my house instead? And I'll take you back home in the morning?" He offered, smiling as Steve nodded his approval, rubbing his tired eyes with a balled up fist.

The four friends then began making their way back around the house and to Danny's car out front, Chin and Danny both supporting Steve's body weight as he tried his best to walk alone, but almost ended up falling over more than once. 

They had just made it to the sidewalk in front of Danny's car, Kono opening the door ready for Steve, when the brunette teen suddenly leant over and threw up onto the ground without warning. 

"Woah, okay, it's alright. Get it all out of your system, babe." Danny grimaced, although he rubbed Steve's back soothingly as he continued to get sick.

30 minutes later, Danny had dropped the cousins back at their own homes and was carefully trying to lead a barely-standing Steve up to his bedroom without waking his family, a task that was proving near-impossible as the taller boy tripped and stumbled noisily over every step.

By some form of miracle, the pair made it to Danny's room without anybody hearing them, the blonde boy thanking his lucky stars that the Williams' were a family of heavy sleepers.

Danny led Steve to his bed, sitting him down and removing his shoes, jeans and belt before easing him into a lying down position and covering him with the comforter. He then snuck back out to the hallway, returning only a moment later with a bucket and a glass of water, leaving them on the bedside cabinet beside Steve and crouching to speak to the boy who was already half asleep.

"You need anything else, babe?" He whispered softly, running a hand over Steve's hair in order to rouse him a little.

"Stay?"

"I'm not going anywhere. Just making sure you're alright." Danny smiled, deciding that it was safe to get out of his own jeans and into a pair of pyjama pants, before sliding into the bed beside Steve.

"Danno?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for being my friend." Steve mumbled sleepily, rolling over to face Danny and sliding his hand into one of Danny's own, smiling widely as he felt the blonde squeeze his hand tightly in return.

"It's okay. You go to sleep now, babe. I'll be right here when you wake up."

"Mm.. 'Kay Danno. Love you."

"Love you too, Steve. Goodnight." Danny replied, already hearing Steve's breathing even out as he fell asleep.

And as he lay there, one hand still linked with Steve's and the boy's soft breaths lightly tickling his face, Danny found himself drifting off to sleep, a smile spread across his face as he only wished that more of his nights would end this way.


	5. Danno

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the morning after the party, and Steve's forgotten a thing or two. Danny is there to help fill in the gaps.

"Well, good morning, sunshine." Danny smirked down at Steve as the boy blinked awake with a groan, his hands immediately going to cover his eyes and shield them from the light flooding in from the window.

Danny had woken up almost an hour earlier, hand still linked tightly with Steve's and his body pressed up against the side of the brunette. 

He had allowed himself to stay like that for a little while, cuddled up into his best friend's side and listening to the steady beat of his heart in the silent room, before he had pulled himself away, sitting up in the bed and waiting for the boy instead.

"Danny?" 

"No Danno this morning? I'm hurt." Danny pouted playfully, only making Steve blink confusedly at him.

"Why am I- What happened?"

"I'll explain when you've had some coffee and are at least slightly more coherent. More importantly, how are you feeling?" Danny asked, although he found his question being answered more physically than he'd imagined as at the mention of drinking anything, Steve's skin paled to an off grey colour and he pressed the back of his hand against his mouth, shaking his head. 

Danny immediately leant over him, picking up the bucket from the floor and holding it in Steve's lap, wincing as the boy was sick into it, Danny rubbing his back until it was over.

"You think you're finished?" He asked Steve gently, gaining a small nod before he placed the bucket back down on the floor and instead picked up the water from the counter, holding it up to Steve's lips.

Steve took the glass in his own hands, sipping from the water a few times before looking up at Danny with slightly guilty eyes.

"Sorry. I don't- I've never really- Um- It was my first time drinking." Steve explained, blushing as he lowered his head a little in embarrassment.

"Hey, it's alright. It happens to the best of us. The truth is, someone gave you pot brownies last night. So your system's taken quite a hit and you're not gonna be at your best for the next couple of days." Danny explained to him slowly, keeping his voice calm even as Steve looked at him with panicked eyes.

"I'm not gonna lie to you Steve, until the drugs are out of your system, it's probably gonna make your anxiety a little worse. But today's Sunday, so you just take it easy, and then if you feel like it's getting bad in school tomorrow then you just come find me. It's not a problem, okay?" Danny continued, giving Steve's arm a little supportive squeeze and shooting him a small smile as he nodded.

"Can I- W-Would it be okay if I stay here for a couple of days?" 

"Yeah, of course. Ma would love that, actually. Is everything okay with your dad, though? You told me that you didn't want to go home last night either." Danny asked carefully, not wanting to upset Steve but unable to stop himself worrying about his friend.

"It's fine. My dad just- He's always trying to get me back to what I was like before- b-before all of this. He gets mad when I'm more anxious. Thinks I'm n-not trying to get better. It just makes me more scared." 

"Don't listen to him, Steve. You're doing really well, and he should realise that. You can stay here for as long as you want, okay? We'll go and get some things from your house later on." Danny assured him, before he leant forward and pulled Steve into a tight hug, smiling as the brunette relaxed into the hug and nodded into his shoulder.

They were interrupted as Stella suddenly burst into the room, rambling loudly about borrowing a sweatshirt before freezing with a huge grin spread across her face as she spotted the two boys hugging on the bed. 

"Stell..." Danny tried to step in before she could say anything, but he failed as she turned and bolted out of the room.

"MA! STEVE'S IN DANNY'S BED!" She yelled as she ran down the stairs, so loud that Danny was convinced the whole street must have heard, and the blonde boy sighed and smacked his hand against his forehead with a groan.

"Well, that should be fun to explain over breakfast. You should probably put some pants on, don't want to give them any more reason to gossip." Danny laughed lightly, making Steve blush a little and smile shyly.

Danny then leant over his side of the bed, pulling something from his bedside cabinet before turning back to Steve, a large, round pair of glasses now balanced on his nose. Steve couldn't help himself as he snorted out a laugh, making Danny frown as he pushed the glasses up his nose when they slid down a little.

"I'm not putting in contacts all weekend when I don't need to, so you'd better get used to these." Danny told Steve before got up out of the bed, getting a pair of sweat pants from his drawer and throwing them at Steve. He then picked up the bucket from the ground and walked over to the door, turning back to Steve in the doorway.

"Come down whenever you're ready. There's spare toothbrushes under the sink in the bathroom, I'll be in the kitchen trying to convince my family that we're not actually dating for the hundredth time." 

Steve nodded in response, and so Danny headed down the stairs, flipping off Matt on the way to the kitchen as the younger boy whistled flirtatiously when Danny walked by. As soon as he walked into the kitchen, his mother immediately approached him, firing questions at him faster than he could answer them, while Stella sat back laughing.

"Ma! Would you calm down? It was late when we got back from the party, so Steve stayed here so he wouldn't wake up his family. He's just a friend, I told you that."

"But sweetie, your sister said that when she walked in you two were- You know- Close." Clara said questioningly, making Danny raise his eyebrows at Stella incredulously.

"We were hugging, Ma! He was upset, and we were hugging! Jesus, it's like being in a family of gossiping twelve year-olds." He yelled, shaking his head, earning a clip on the ear from his mother.

"Don't you raise your voice at me, Daniel. I hear that attitude again and you're grounded for a week, you hear me?"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry! But please, would you all just stop pressuring me about it? Steve, Chin and Kono, they're the only good friends I've got here, Ma. I don't want to ruin that. Plus, Steve's got a lot on his plate, he's still getting over some stuff. He isn't ready, so I'm not gonna push him. I don't mind the teasing but just- Tone it down a little, okay? Please?" Danny sighed, causing Clara to sigh a little sympathetically and lean over to kiss his head.

"Okay sweetie. I'm sorry. I'll stop, I promise. Now what have you got there? And where's Steve?"

"It's the sick bucket. It needs cleaning out, Ma." 

"Did you get sick, sweetie?" Clara asked in concern, pressing her hand to Danny's forehead immediately.

"No, Ma. It was Steve. Someone gave him pot brownies at the party last night. He didn't know what they were, ate a bunch of them, ended up high as a kite." Danny explained as he walked over to the sink, rinsing out the bucket thoroughly before drying it and placing it in a cupboard of cleaning supplies below him.

"Is he alright? Poor sweetheart must have been terrified."

"He's fine, Ma. I looked after him. Is it okay if he stays here for a few days, though? His dad's working and he doesn't want to be on his own." Danny asked his mother, dodging eye contact for a minute as he lied about Steve's reason for wanting to stay.

"Of course, sweetie. He can stay here anytime, you know that." Clara smiled, just as Steve walked into the kitchen with a small wave.

"Morning honey. How are you feeling? Danny said you got sick." Clara fussed over him, pressing a hand to his forehead just as she had with Danny, making the blonde roll his eyes while Steve only laughed lightly.

"I'm fine, Mrs Williams. I'm feeling much better, I promise." 

"You feel a little warm, honey. And you're looking paler than usual. You go and sit with Danny and I'll bring you boys some breakfast. Pancakes okay?"

"Pancakes sound great, Mrs Williams. Thank you."

"Steve, sweetie, how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Clara."

"Sorry, Mrs W- Clara." Steve smiled at her, blushing lightly and ducking his head, only making both Clara and Danny smile fondly at him.

"Come on. Bee will be excited to see you here. Dad got her a new bear, do you want to guess what she called it?" Danny then piped up, Steve looking suspiciously between him and his mother as she laughed lightly at the mention of the bear.

"Uhh... Mr Cuddles?" 

"Mr Cuddles? Really Steve? No, her new bear is called Steve. And he's her best friend, apparently. In her words, 'Just like Danny and Stevie!'" Danny grinned, making Clara giggle again as she turned to start making the two of them some breakfast, while Steve only blushed again with a smile.

Danny laughed and dragged Steve out of the room to go and find Bridget, the little girl's face lighting up as her eyes fell on Steve and she immediately ran over.

Danny and Steve almost saw it happen in slow motion as she tripped on the corner of the rug as she ran, falling and ending up face first on the floor after knocking her forehead on a small table beside the couch. 

The two boys were at her side in a second, Danny scooping the girl up in his arms and checking her over, Bridget staring at them dazedly with teary eyes, her bottom lip quivering, before she burst into tears.

"It's alright, you're okay. Ssh, bumblebee, you're just fine. We're just gonna fix up that owwie on your head and you'll be okay. I promise." Danny soothed her, while Matt ran out of the room, returning with a first aid kit and handing it to Danny as he sat Bridget down on the couch.

Steve spotted the girl's teddy bear on the table and grabbed it, crouching in front of her and sitting it on her lap, making her calm down a little in order to pull it against her.

"Bee, I'm gonna fix up your head now. It's going to hurt a little bit, so you have to be a big brave girl for me, okay?" 

"C-Can Stevie ho-hold my hand?" Bridget sniffled, reaching out weakly for Steve who took her little hand in his own straight away.

"Sure I can, sweetie. Danno's really good at making people feel better though, you don't have to worry." Steve smiled softly, Danny's head shooting up to look at him as he repeated the nickname from the night before that Danny was sure had been forgotten, little Bridget giggling tearfully in response.

"Da-Danno sounds funny."

"You like it, sweetie? Suits him, doesn't it?" Steve laughed lightly, the girl nodding with another giggle.

Danny made quick work of cleaning and covering her wound, apologising every time she winced at all, while Steve tried to entertain the girl and keep her distracted from the worst parts. 

When he'd finished, Bridget immediately cheered up and ran off to her bedroom to play with her toys, Matty going to his own room shortly afterwards, leaving Danny and Steve alone on the sofa together.

"So.. Danno?" Danny asked after a few moments of silence, turning and smirking at Steve who smiled back sheepishly.

"Forever and ever, right?"

"Right." Danny replied, turning away once again and switching on the television, all too aware of the rapid beating of his heart and the warm smile that spread across his face as he already awaited the next time he'd hear the nickname come from Steve's lips.


	6. Reputations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Chin informs him of an emergency, it's Danny Williams to the rescue.

Danny was on his way to his maths classroom, practically skipping as he was aware that this would be his last period before seeing Steve again, when he was pulled from his happy reverie by the beeping of his phone's text tone from his pocket.

'Boys bathroom. Science hallway. Come - NOW!! Emergency.'

Danny frowned and immediately turned and ran towards the location that Chin had texted him, pushing past people with rushed out apologies until he finally reached the bathroom.

He burst inside, finding Chin standing at the sinks looking concernedly at a stall where Steve was curled in on himself, hands clutching at his hair and his whole body trembling.

"What happened, Chin?"

"I don't know. I just found him crying, he can barely breath, D! He's been sick twice, I just dragged him in here where it was quiet. I didn't know what to do?!"

"Alright. You did well, thank you for texting me. Could you just make sure nobody comes in here while I find out what's happened and try to calm him down, please?" Danny spoke calmly, not wanting Chin to panic as well. 

Chin nodded immediately in response to him, exiting the bathroom and standing guard outside. Danny then took a deep breath himself before slowly approaching Steve, crouching beside the panicking boy and laying a gentle hand on his back.

"Steve, I really need you to breath for me, babe. You think you can try to follow my breathing if I help you?" Danny spoke softly and evenly, offering his free hand to Steve who immediately grabbed and squeezed it tightly with one of his own.

"D-Danny-"

"Ssh, it's alright. I'm right here, but I just need you to focus on my breathing and try to copy it. I'm gonna talk you through it, alright babe? Everything's gonna be just fine." Danny hushed him lightly, thankful as the brunette only nodded in response.

Danny spent the following fifteen minutes sitting there with Steve, the two of them crammed into the tiny stall, hands clutched together as Danny whispered small, soothing words to Steve, and the brunette worked hard to align his breathing with Danny. 

Once he was calmer, tears still rolling down his cheeks but his breathing now even and his face looking less worryingly pale, Danny shuffled to sit beside Steve, looping an arm over his shoulders.

"What happened, babe? I've never seen you have a panic attack that bad before." Danny asked quietly, not wanting to upset Steve again but needing answers as to what has elicited such a reaction.

In response, Steve pulled a handful of shredded pieces of paper from his pocket, holding them out to Danny who frowned and took the pieces from him. 

Looking at them closely, Danny realised that the shreds had previously been a picture of a grinning Steve, still dressed in his full football uniform and holding the game ball, his mother standing beside him and squeezing him tightly in a hug, a proud smile on her face.

"I-It was my last- Th-The last photo that I ever- E-Ever had with her." Steve stuttered out, choking on another sob, Danny's face hardening in anger as he stared between his best friend and the torn up photograph.

"Who did this?"

"F-Football team. And they- Th-They said she deserved- D-Deserved to die for giving b-birth to me." 

"They're liars. They're a bunch of fucking sick, lying assholes, Steve. You hear me?" Danny told him firmly, Steve nodding shakily in response.

"I don't- I c-can't stay here, Danno."

"Okay babe, it's alright. You want me to call your dad or my ma?"

"Can I- C-Can I go to your's please? My mom- I can't- Th-There's pictures of her everywhere at mine. I-I can't-" Steve asked nervously, rambling shakily until Danny nodded and cut him off.

"Sure babe, it's not a problem. I'll go and call ma now. I'm gonna send Chin back in, I'll call ma, and I'll be right back. Okay?"

"O-Okay."

Danny then exited the bathroom, quickly filling Chin in on what had happened before sending him back into the bathroom to stay with Steve. He quickly called his mother, who readily agreed to pick the boys up, promising to be there within 15 minutes, before hanging up and going to head back to Steve and Chin.

He was just about to push open the door to the bathroom when he heard the loud voices of two of his teammates drifting round the corner, and he immediately curled his hands into fists and headed towards the sound. 

"Oh hey, Williams. Where's McGarrett? Still crying over mommy?" One of the players teased, causing the other to laugh and begin mock-crying.

Danny didn't reply, but he carried on walking in their direction as though he was unbothered. As he was walking by them, he swung a punch at the taller of the boys, efficiently knocking him to the floor with the unexpected attack. He then kneed the other boy hard in the stomach, before kicking him in the crotch to floor him as well.

"You ever fucking mess with Steve again, I'll fucking kill you. You understand that? You fuck with him, you fuck with me. Stay away from him." Danny warned, landing a firm punch to both of the player's faces as they attempted to get up before heading back to where Steve was waiting, leaving the two on the floor behind him.

When Clara arrived 10 minutes later, Danny and Steve said a quick goodbye to Chin before climbing into the back seat of the car together, sitting in silence as Clara ranted angrily about how mistreated Steve was by the school.

They arrived back at the Williams' home not long afterwards, Danny and Steve heading up to Danny's bedroom and settling on the bed together, Steve comfortably leaning against Danny without either of them thinking much about it. Danny could still feel the occasional tremor run through Steve's body, pulling the brunette in a little tighter every time that it happened.

"Danno?"

"Yeah babe?"

"Do you love me?" Steve asked, and Danny sighed lightly and frowned down at Steve in his arms.

"You know that I love you, Steve. We've had this conversation a million times, you're my best friend. I will always love you. Please don't doubt it."

"N-No I mean- Do you- I don't mean like that I mean-" Steve rambled, only deepening Danny's frown as he stared confusedly down at Steve who was getting worked up as he tried to figure out the words he wanted to say.

Danny had been waiting patiently, giving Steve the time that he needed to piece together his words, when suddenly the brunette sat up and pulled Danny into a kiss before he even knew what was happening.

The kiss only lasted a few moments, Steve's hands buried in Danny's hair as he held the blonde against him, while Danny was still processing what was happening, his mouth working against Steve's but his eyes still slightly wide, even as they pulled apart and Steve tried to read Danny's face for a reaction. 

"I'm sorry, I-" 

"Sorry? Jesus, Steve, do you have any idea how-" Danny started, his heart racing and beating hard against his chest as he tried to get over the shock of what had happened.

"I'm sorry! I-I know how stupid it was! Pl-Please don't be mad, I don't- Y-You're my best friend, I just-"

Steve squeaked slightly as Danny then leant forwards and pressed their lips together firmly again in order to shut the brunette up, before pulling away once again with a grin spread across his face.

"What I was going to say, before you rudely interrupted me, was do you have any idea how long I've wanted to do that?" Danny laughed lightly, his smirk only growing as Steve's eyes widened almost comically and his mouth bobbed open and closed like a goldfish as he tried to find the words to form a reply. 

"I mean, I was waiting until you were ready, but I never thought you'd be the one to make the first move. I had this big romantic moment planned after the big game at the end of the season, and here you are finding your feet and getting in there fir-"

"Danno!"

"What?"

"Could you- Would you just stop talking, please? Just this once? So we can maybe try that kiss again?" Steve asked with a giggle, making Danny stick his tongue out at Steve, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I hope you're not planning on always being this mouthy. I've got a reputation to uphold, you know?" Danny teased lightly, although he was shuffling closer and closer to Steve, their faces almost touching.

"Ah yes, Danny Williams: Star Running Back and future officer in the Honolulu PD. How could I forget?" 

"You forgot one other thing." Danny whispered, already pressing a line of kisses over Steve's chin and towards his mouth, the brunette making a noise of question as he leant into the soft kisses.

"Danny Williams: Boyfriend of Steve McGarrett." Danny grinned, pressing his mouth against Steve's once again, grinning into the kiss as a small, excited giggle bubbled out of Steve and he wrapped his arms tightly around Danny, who decided that as long as he had this, a reputation didn't matter so much after all.


	7. Family Values

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny meets Mary for the first time.

“Danny sweetie? What does Steve want for dinner?” Clara called through to her eldest son, who was cuddled up on the sofa with Steve, the two of them watching a movie together with little Bridget lying beside them, while Matt and Stella sat on the sofa opposite.

It had been a week since they’d first kissed, and so far things had gone perfectly. Steve still hadn’t told his father about the two of them, Danny continuously reassuring him that it was alright for him to take his time, however the Williams’ had figured it out almost immediately. 

Danny and Steve had headed downstairs following their kissing session on Danny’s bed, both of them grinning widely and giggling with each other, and Clara had instantly bombarded them with a myriad of questions about their relationship, somehow being able to pick up on the change in their dynamic. The rest of the Williams’ had reacted in an equally over-joyous way, Danny simply rolling his eyes while Steve laughed lightly, answering any and all questions that they had.

Things had settled down quickly after that, and having already known Steve so well, the Williams clan had simply taken him in as one of the family, although Clara still cooed over him every time he arrived to have dinner with them or to stay the night.

“Ma says what would you like for dinner?” Danny smiled sweetly up at Steve, who laughed lightly in response.

“Oh, really? I missed that part when she yelled it at full volume from the next room. Thanks for clarifying, Danno.” Steve smirked sarcastically, poking his tongue out at Danny playfully.

“I’m a saint, I know. Now what do you want, babe?”

“I’ll have whatever you and the others want. I really don’t know why your mom only cooks what I want every time I’m round here.” Steve replied with another small laugh, gaining a grin from Danny, who shared a glance with Matt and Stella before yelling back to his mother.

“Ma! Steve says he wants pizza!”

“Are you sure, sweetie? That sounds more like what you and your brother might want!” Clara yelled back, making Steve and Stella laugh loudly, while Danny and Matt let out a synchronised cry of ‘Ma!’ in complaint.

Steve was pulled from their joking as his phone buzzed in his pocket and he checked the caller ID before answering and holding the phone up to his ear.

“Hi Dad. No, I’m at Danny’s. We’re just watching movies, dad, I told you I’d be staying here tonight. Can Uncle Joe not go? Because he’s my friend, dad! I know. Okay, I’m sorry, dad. I’ll go now. Be safe. Bye.” Steve spoke frustratedly into the phone, before losing his fight and instead looking sadly across at Danny, who had been trying to piece together the garbled information into a conversation.

“Dad’s been called into work. A breakthrough on some huge case they’ve been working on for months, says he has to stay in the office all night. He needs me to go and pick up Mary from her friend’s and look after her tonight.” Steve explained with a sigh after he hung up the phone.

“Why don’t you bring her here for the night?” Danny offered, Steve looking a little taken aback by the suggestion, clearly not expecting it.

“She’s only 7, Danno. And she’s- She changed after mom died, she’s clingy and she’ll want to be with me all the time. It’s not like when I’m here on my own.”

“It’s fine, babe. I’d rather you be here with her than in that big old house of your’s on your own. Plus, little Bee is here, they’ll get along just fine. It’ll be fun.” Danny grinned, apparently winning Steve over as the brunette’s mouth turned up in a half-smile.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, babe. It’s okay, I promise. I’ll just go tell Ma. Can you grab my keys from my bag for me, please?” Danny smiled, planting a quick kiss on Steve’s lips as the boy nodded and the two of them stood to exit the room.

Fifteen minutes later, Steve was carrying Mary out of her friend’s house, asking her about her day and smiling widely as she rattled on at him about all of the fun that she’d had in school and with her friends, before suddenly going silent as she spotted the unfamiliar car on the street.

“That’s not your truck.”

“I know, monkey. It’s Danno’s car. You remember? My friend that I told you about? We’re gonna stay at his house tonight. That’ll be fun, right?” 

“It’s like mommy’s car.” Mary said quietly, Steve’s heart dropping to the floor as he realised that his sister was right, and Danny’s car was the same make, colour and model as the one that had previously belonged to his mother. He stopped walking with her, instead standing her on the floor and kneeling in front of her to look into her eyes.

“You don’t have to be scared. I’ll sit with you, and I’ll keep you safe. I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you. And Danno’s gonna be a police officer just like daddy, so he’s really, really good at keeping people safe. Okay, monkey?” Steve promised her, letting out a small relieved sigh as she nodded at him after a moment’s hesitation, although she raised her arms to be lifted again.

Steve got into the front seat next to Danny once again, the blonde frowning at him in both confusion and concern as Steve buckled himself and Mary, still stuck to his chest in a hug, into the front seat, looping the seatbelt around the two of them.

“Everything okay?” 

“Your car. It’s- uh- It’s like my mom’s was. She’s a little worried.” Steve explained as quietly as he could, planting a kiss on Mary’s head as she whimpered a little at the mention of her mother, while Danny nodded a little in understanding and began their drive back home. 

They were back at the Williams’ house within 10 minutes, even with Danny driving more slowly than usual so that he wouldn’t scare Mary, an action for which Steve was eternally grateful. When they got back to the house, Steve carried Mary inside, while Danny carried the young girl’s small backpack, and held the door open for the two siblings. As soon as they stepped into the house, Bridget immediately ran over and threw herself into Danny’s awaiting arms.

“Mommy said we can have cookies for dessert if you help me make them! Please will you help, Danny? Pretty please?! You make the bestest cookies in the whole wide world!!” The girl begged, making both Steve and Danny laugh lightly as she fluttered her eyelashes at him pleadingly.

“Sure I will, bumblebee. How about we show Mary and Steve how to make them too?” Danny suggested, gaining a small, shocked gasp from Bridget.

“But it’s your super top secret recipe, Danno!”

“I think we can tell them. As long as they pinky promise not to tell anyone else. You think that sounds fair?” Danny smiled, laughing as Bridget nodded but stuck both of her pinky fingers out at Steve and Mary expectantly.

“You have to pinky promise not to give Danno’s recipe away!” She demanded, Steve laughing and linking his pinky finger in with her own, Mary copying her brother and doing the same, shooting a shy smile at Danny and Bridget.

“Well then, now thats sorted, lets go and make some cookies. Bridget, can you take Mary to wash her hands and get an apron, please? I’m sure she doesn’t want to get flour and chocolate all over those pretty clothes.” Danny suggested, grinning as Bridget nodded quickly, and Mary’s eyes widened at the mention of chocolate. 

The two girls ran off up the stairs together, Bridget rambling excitedly about the cookies as she all but dragged Mary up to her room, the slightly older girl following her with a small smile spread across her face. Danny turned to Steve with a small smile once they were alone, standing on his tiptoes in order to press a kiss to Steve’s lips, the brunette holding him there for a moment longer than expected as he melted into the kiss.

“Thank you.”

“For what, babe?” 

“Nothing. Just- Everything. You’re amazing.” Steve told Danny sincerely, staring down at him like the blonde was his whole universe.

“You don’t have to thank me. I’d do anything for you. I love you.” Danny replied with a soft smile, as though it was the simplest thing in the world.

“I love you too.” 

“I know you do, you big oaf. Now come on, I really don’t want to be murdered by two little girls because I didn’t get the cookie ingredients ready.” Danny teased, pressing another quick kiss to Steve’s lips before turning to head to the kitchen, Steve running after him with a laugh and linking their hands together. 

“About those, remember on the first day we met and you offered me one of ‘your mom’s’ cookies?” Steve smirked, raising an eyebrow at Danny in question, holding back laughter as the boy blushed and shot Steve a quick glare.

“You tell anyone, especially Chin and Kono, you can say goodbye to kisses from me for the rest of your life.” Danny warned, only making Steve laugh harder as Mary and Bridget ran into the kitchen together, wide smiles on each of their faces. 

Steve helped the girls up onto a step that allowed them to reach the counter, and grabbed a bowl that Danny couldn’t quite reach, placing it on the side where Danny was directing Mary and Bridget on what to do, but allowing them to do all of the practical work themselves. 

Once most of the ingredients were in the bowl, Danny took a step back, and Steve wrapped himself around the blonde from behind, resting his chin on the shorter boy’s shoulder and pressing a kiss to his cheek. Both of them smiled at one another as they slid their hands together, each of them convinced that this was the way they wanted to spend the rest of their lives.


	8. Under Attack

Danny was smiling widely as he exited his chemistry exam, immediately heading to find Steve, spending just over an hour looking around all of his boyfriend's classrooms as well as the library, before bumping into Chin in the hallway.

"Have you seen Steve?" Danny asked with a smile, before he frowned as he realised that Chin looked panicked and was shaking his head.

"Danny we- Your mom's here. We've been looking for you everywhere. Where the fuck have you been?!" Chin rushed out, grabbing Danny's arm and dragging him down the corridor in a run.

"What's happened? What the hell is going on?!"

"It's Steve. He's in the hospital." Chin explained, never stopping to turn to look at Danny until the boy suddenly stopped moving, his face paling as he stared at Chin and swallowed thickly.

"What- How-" He asked weakly, Chin sighing sympathetically but keeping his rushed tone.

"He was attacked. He's been rushed into surgery, one of his ribs has punctured his lung. We don't know what happened, the hospital just called Clara because they couldn't get in touch with John."

"Why- W-Why didn't anybody call me?"

"We tried, you weren't answering." Chin replied, and Danny's heart dropped as he remembered that he'd put his phone on silent in the exam, checking it and finding that there was indeed over 20 missed calls from his mother and Chin.

"Come on, we've got to get you to the car." Chin pulled him from his guilt, grabbing his arm and dragging him forwards once again, Danny following behind almost dazedly now.

They arrived at the car within minutes, Clara fussing over Danny as he clambered into the car, not reacting to her as he instead stared forwards in shocked silence. Chin offered a quick goodbye before the two Williams drove to the hospital, Clara reaching over the centre console in order to take Danny's hand in her own.

"Mrs Williams? We were wondering when you'd get here. Mr McGarrett was hurt quite severely, however he seems to be out of the woods for now." The Doctor started when they arrived there, Clara letting out a sigh of relief and squeezing Danny's hand tightly. 

"He has several broken bones, including one of his legs and five of his ribs. One of the ribs punctured his lung, but he's just been brought out of surgery. Unless there are any complications in the next couple of days, he should be fine. You can go in and sit with him, but I must warn you that his facial injuries look severe, however I can assure you they'll heal over the course of the next few weeks."

Clara thanked the doctor, following him to Steve's room, dragging a still-catatonic Danny beside her. They stepped into the room, Clara gasping quietly as they stepped towards the bed and saw Steve's battered face as he slept, the drugs from the surgery keeping him peaceful and still as he rested. 

One of his eyes was completely swelled shut, while the other had dark bruising completely surrounding it, much like the rest of Steve's face. There was also scattered cuts across his cheeks and chin, and through the oxygen mask, Danny and Clara could see that his lip had been split open in more than one place.

Danny paled further as the shock wore off, and the flood of emotions from the past hour hit him all at once, feeling a wave of nausea wash over him as he saw the extent of his boyfriend's injuries.

"I-I'm gonna be sick, Ma." He choked out in a whisper, but not being able to tear his eyes away from Steve.

"Okay sweetie, it's alright. Just hold on one second." Clara replied quickly, running to grab an emesis basin from the side, holding it under Danny's chin as he was sick into it, slowly leading him to a chair and sitting him down, rubbing his back.

"You're okay, baby. He's a strong boy, he'll be just fine. You've got each other." Clara soothed, kissing his forehead and pulling him forwards into her arms as he started to cry.

"I-I can't l-lose him, Ma. I d-do-don't know what to- t-to do without him anymore." Danny sobbed loudly against her, pressing his face into her shoulder as she whispered soothingly to him.

The two of them stayed like that for the next half hour, Clara only holding Danny tightly and soothing him as he continued to cry, gasping out short sentences to her as she tried to calm him.

"Danno?" Was the weak call that pulled them apart, Danny's head shooting up as he heard the speech from the bed across the room.

Seeing Steve's less injured eye blinking open, Danny immediately made a beeline for the bed, tears still rolling down his cheeks as he desperately slid his hand into one of Steve's and squeezed it tightly.

"I'm r-right here, babe."

"Where..?"

"You're in the hospital, babe. Someone hurt you, you needed surgery. Y-You were so strong, I'm so s-sorry I wasn't here earlier." Danny explained shakily, his tears starting up again, only making Steve frown slightly.

"Don't cry. Please? Love you."

"I love you so much. So, so much." Danny choked back, leaning and pressing a kiss to Steve's injured lips as gently as he could, making the brunette smile weakly.

"What happened, sweetie? Who did this to you?" Clara stepped in after giving the boys a few moments alone, resting a gentle hand on Steve's arm as he trembled a little at the mention of his attack.

Steve took a deep, shaky breath, squeezing his boyfriend's hand tightly as he closed his eyes and relieved the painful memories, before opening his mouth to speak.

"I-I told my dad a-about us.." 

And Danny was sure his heart dropped straight through the bottom of his stomach.


	9. Explanations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that this is so late! I just started Uni and moved house so it's been busy, busy, busy! Hopefully lots more updates coming to all of my stories now though - Plus a new, slightly different, chaptered fic! Sorry again and a huge mahalo to all of you :) x

Danny's face immediately hardened as Steve's eyes teared up at the mention of his dad's actions, letting out an angry shout before turning and heading towards the door.

At the same moment, Danny's dad walked in, blocking the blonde boy's path, being met with a firm shove from Danny.

"I'm gonna kill him! I'm gonna fucking break every bone in his body and see how he likes it!" Danny yelled, fighting against his dad as the older man continued to block his path, Danny pounding against him with his fists.

"Calm down, Danny. Just take a breath." Eddie said firmly, taking both of Danny's forearms in his hands, effectively halting his fighting movements.

"Let me go! I'm gonna- I- Let me out, I just- I- Wh-Why can't they just l-love him, dad? W-Why can't an-anybody just fucking love him?" Danny broke down, Eddie pulling the boy against him as his fighting got weaker and weaker until eventually he was only pressed up against his father and crying hard.

"It's alright, you're okay. Take a breath, you're alright." Eddie soothed, carefully lowering the two of them to the floor and rubbing Danny's back as he sobbed.

"He'll be okay, sweetie." Clara told Steve gently as he tried to sit up in the bed, frowning at the scene as Eddie continued to talk Danny through his breathing while he cried loudly.

"I didn't mean to upset him." 

"You didn't, honey, I promise. He just loves you, and he's very protective over us all because of how much he loves us." Clara assured him, kissing his forehead gently and getting him to lie back on the bed once again. 

Eddie eventually managed to get Danny calmed down, leading him over to the bed once again and sitting him in a chair there, smiling as Steve immediately reached out and took Danny's hand in his own.

"The police are here, we got in some officers that have no links to your dad, so you don't have to worry, okay son?" Eddie explained, getting a thankful nod from Steve who's eyes were still glued to Danny as the pair held hands.

"Can you tell us what happened, sweetheart? From the beginning?"

"I got home and d-dad was just sitting there. I-I could hear Mary crying so I- I just asked what happened. M-Mary told him about us by a-accident. He asked if it w-was true and I-I told him that I- Th-That I loved you." Steve started, his eyes tearing up as he stared at Danny, who cried silently along with him and held his hand tightly. 

"H-He just got- He w-was so mad. He threw me- H-He threw me into the table and then j-just- H-He just didn't stop. I-I blacked out and when- I-I woke up and he was st-still going. I don't- I-I had to tell Ma-Mary how to call the ambulance."

"Where is she, sweetheart? Is she safe?" Clara asked gently, suddenly remembering the youngest member of Steve's family.

"O-Our neighbour took her. D-Didn't want her to be in the hospital again. Not since- N-Not since mom died." Steve explained quietly, Clara nodding in understanding while Danny just squeezed Steve's hand a little tighter.

"Okay sweetie. We'll go and talk to the police, you two try and get some sleep if you can. We love you both." Clara told them softly, leaning and pressing a kiss to each of their heads before exiting the room with Eddie and leaving the boys alone. 

Steve patted the bed beside him as soon as they were gone, and Danny smiled and climbed up next to him, cuddling carefully into his side, the two of them lying silently like that for a little while.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't with you earlier, Steve. I should have helped or-"

"Danno, it's okay. You were busy, it isn't your fault."

"That reminds me. I passed my chem exam. Feels kind of stupid now." Danny laughed lightly, tears still in his eyes as he shuffled up the bed so he was eye-level with Steve.

"Hey, don't do that. It's not stupid, Danno, it's amazing." Steve told him sincerely, only making the blonde blush a little and shake his head.

"I'm being serious, babe. You worked so hard. I'm so, so proud of you. I love you."

"I love you too, Steve. Thank you." Danny smiled, leaning forwards and kissing Steve gently, only for the boy to pull him a little closer and deepen the kiss.

When they pulled apart a few moments later, both of their cheeks wet with tears as they held each other tightly, they exchanged a string of whispered 'I love you's before slowly drifting off to sleep, each of them content with being in each other's arms once again.


	10. New Found Family (Update!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quick replacement for my hiatus post as I hopefully get this story back on track!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back! Needed a few more months to try and get my things together, and after an absolutely horrible few months (pretty much all of 2018, if I’m honest) I’m finally ready (at least I hope I am!). Double update this time, and hopefully many more to come soon. Thank you to everyone who’s still sticking around.

It was a week later that Danny wheeled Steve up to the Williams’ home, Clara walking ahead of them with little Mary, while Eddie carried a box of Steve's belongings behind them. 

Steve had given his statement against his father a few days earlier, and the hospital had decided that he was ready to return home with the Williams' once social services had checked out their home and deemed it acceptable for Steve and Mary to stay in as well.

Clara and Eddie had gotten matching twin beds installed in Bridget's room for her and Mary, both of the young girls excitedly setting up their toys in there as they were both excited about being able to see each other every day.

Also, after a few days of begging from Danny, and silent but powerful puppy eyes from Steve, Clara had agreed to let the boys share Danny's bed, and so Eddie had spent the past two days moving all of Steve's belongings into the room.

As soon as they got into the house, Danny took Steve through to the living room and got him settled on the sofa there, Steve's eye catching sight of a guitar case propped up in the corner of the room.

"Danno?"

"Yeah babe? Do you need anything?"

"Who's guitar is that? Did Matty start while I was in hospital?" Steve asked with a slight curious frown, pointing to the case and not noticing as Danny smiled softly in response.

"Ma and Dad bought it for you, babe." Danny explained just as Eddie and Clara entered the room, smiling as Steve looked up at them with wide eyes and his jaw dropped open.

"But- I- I- Why?"

"We found your old guitar in your room, sweetie. And all of your music. You're such a talented boy, sweetheart, you deserve it." Clara smiled in response, while Danny carried the guitar over to Steve and unfastened the case, revealing a beautiful new guitar inside, along with a new sheet music writing booklet.

Steve was silent for a few moments, looking between Danny and his parents, his eyes welling with tears before he eventually choked out a sob and wrapped his arms around Danny tightly, hiding his face in the other boy's shoulder.

"Th-Thank you. Th-Thank you for ev-everything- I-I love you." Steve stuttered, his tears soaking into Danny's shoulder as Clara and Eddie simply stood back and watched the two boys with fond smiles.

"It's alright, babe. You're safe now. You and Mary, you're both safe here, we won't let you get hurt again. I love you too. It's okay." Danny whispered in response, twisting his head to press a kiss to the side of Steve's face, and rubbing the brunette's back up and down to soothe him until eventually he pulled away with a bashful smile as he wiped at his eyes.

"S-Sorry." He sniffled with a slight giggle, only making all three of the Williams' in the room smile at him kindly.

"We're very glad that you like it, sweetie."

"And we're fully expecting a song sometime soon, buddy. I read that one you wrote about Danny, you've got talent, kid." Eddie grinned, laughing lightly as Danny raised his eyebrows at Steve in jokey question, while Steve only blushed and gave the blonde a weak shove.

"I need some practice first, it's been a little while since I played anything." Steve smiled sheepishly, Danny grinning and going to say something else before being interrupted as little Bridget came sprinting down the stairs with a squeal of Steve’s name.

“Stevie! You’re back!” She called happily, bounding over to the sofa, only stopping as Steve came to her line of sight and she saw the swelling and bruising over his face. Her eyes widened a little and teared up, and she backed away slowly until her back hit Danny’s legs and she looked up at him with a trembling lip.

“Hey, hey, what’s the matter? Don’t cry, it’s okay. Please don’t cry, Bee.”

“S-Stevie got hu-hurt bad.”

“Oh bumblebee, come here.” Danny sighed sadly, crouching down to Bridget’s level and pulling the girl into his arms as she finally burst into tears, picking her up and sitting beside Steve on the sofa with her.

“It’s alright, sweetie. I was hurt, but I’m better now. Danno and your mommy and daddy have been helping me, and I promise I don’t even feel a little bit bad anymore. It’s okay.” Steve told the girl sincerely, leaning over to press a kiss to her forehead, while Mary clambered up on the sofa beside them and cuddled into Steve’s side. 

“Y-You promise?”

“I pinky promise, sweetie, I’m all better now. And I’m going to live here with you and Danno, won’t that be fun?” Steve convinced Bridget, smiling as she nodded and crawled over to the siblings and hugged them both at the same time.

“Right then. I’ve got some steaks for dinner, I know they’re you’re favourite buddy. Danny, can you go and get Matty and start setting the table.”

“Sure, dad. Bee, do you want to show Stevie some of the drawings that you and Mary did for him while he was away?” Danny answered with a smile, grinning wider as the girl nodded excitedly and jumped up off the sofa, running out of the room only to return moments later with a large stack of different coloured paper.

The two brothers made quick work of setting the table, Danny moving one of the chairs away to make space for Steve’s wheelchair before helping his dad carry in the large plates of food and laying them in the centre of the table.

Only a few minutes later, the whole family were sat around the table for dinner, Danny on one side of Steve, with Mary on his other side, Bridget sat beside the other young girl and talking excitedly while everyone else listened and laughed quietly at her tales.

“Stevie?”

“Yes, sweetie?”

“Can you play a song for us on your new guitar? I really, really like singing songs with Mary and now you can play guitar too!!”

“Sure I can, sweetie. I’d love that! I might have to practice a little more first though.” Steve laughed lightly, gaining large grins from both Bridget and Mary in response, the two girls high-fiving while Danny laughed at their antics.

The family fell into normal conversation again soon after, Bridget’s enthusiastic chattering continuing on even as half the table left to help clean dishes, returning to find the girl barely sitting in her seat, eyes drooping with tiredness. Steve giggled as he watched her drift off, while Danny immediately pulled out his phone and snapped a photo.

“She is gonna be the easiest person to embarrass at her wedding, I swear to God.” He laughed as he recorded the snoozing girl’s head falling further and further towards her still-remaining plate of food.

Steve laughed harder at his words, only stopping as both boys were met with light slaps to the backs of their heads from Clara, Danny startling and dropping his phone in response.

“You seem to forget how many times you stripped off and ran round the neighbourhood naked as a toddler, Daniel. If anyone’s getting embarrassed in the future I think I know who it is, sweetie.” She chastised her eldest son, Stella and Matt’s laughter joining Steve’s as they walked back into the room just as Danny’s ears reddened and he shot Clara a glare.

“Now Bridget’s got a point, it’s been a long day and we all need some sleep. Matty, can you carry Bee up for me, darling? And Danny, your father will help you get Steve up to bed.” Clara requested, pressing kisses to the heads of both of her sons before turning to Steve and Mary, the pair smiling up at her.

“You two sleep well, sweethearts. If you need anything at all, you just come and ask, okay? This is your house now too, and we’re so glad you’re here.” 

“Thank you, Clara. I don’t- There aren’t enough words. Just thank you so much.” Steve grinned tearfully, squeezing Danny’s hand tightly as the blonde came to stand beside him. 

“Count yourself lucky, don’t think Ma’s said something that nice to one of us in years.” Danny teased, gaining himself a swat on the head with a towel that Clara was holding, only increasing his laughter. 

Steve chuckled along with him, quickly casting off the tears on his cheeks and giving his boyfriend’s hand another quick squeeze, pulling Mary into his side for a hug as he looked around the room and thanked the world for his new found family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this wasn’t great! I am EXTREMELY out of practice, but just wanted to bang out a couple of updates for you all!! As always, comments are more than welcome and I hope there’s no mistakes here, but please inform me if you spot any! It’s been,, an insanely difficult couple of months so, thanks so much to you all for always being so great! :)


	11. Safe In Your Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny’s big brotherly actions are called upon in the middle of the night. (Plus there’s cuddles!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance as this chapter is very much a filler! It actually started as a chapter of a completely different story, but ended up not fitting there, and I really love the dynamic of the boys’ relationship with their younger siblings in this story so thought I’d pop it in here. Also felt like I really wanted to give you all a couple of updates at once.
> 
> More of actual substance soon, I promise! My writing head is screwed on a little tighter now, I feel, so hopefully we’re on the up :)

Steve frowned as he blinked awake to a still-dark room, feeling Danny’s arms tightly wrapped around him while the blonde boy was practically lay on top of him, head buried into Steve’s shoulder as he slept.

Glancing at the small alarm clock beside him, Steve saw that it was just gone 3AM, and went to head back to sleep, before he was brought to the attention of what woke him in the first place, which was a small cry of “Danno” from across the room. 

Steve woke a little more then, rubbing his bleary eyes and squinting at the open doorway, recognising the barely-there silhouette of little Bridget, and turning on the lamp beside him, effectively rousing Danny in the process.

“Bridget, sweetie? What’s the matter?”

“D-Danno...” Bridget whined again, Steve now picking up on the edge of tears in the girl’s voice, giving Danny a firm shove with his elbow to jolt the blonde into action.

“I’m here, Bee. What is it? You need a drink or something?” Danny asked as he shot Steve a slight glare but rubbed sleep from his eyes and sat up slowly nonetheless, grabbing his glasses from his desk and putting them on.

“I-I’m s-sorry, Danno!” Bridget cried a little louder this time, covering her eyes with tiny hands as she crumbled and burst into tears, Danny’s eyes widening a little in shock as he jumped out of bed and went to immediately gather the girl into his arms.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. Don’t be silly, Bumblebee, you’ve got nothing to be sorry for. No matter what’s upset you, I’m not mad.” Danny soothed, crouching beside Bridget and wrapping his arms around her in a hug, only to wrinkle his nose as the smell of urine hit him.

Danny pulled away from the hug and looked Bridget up and down, the large wet stain on her pyjama pants only just coming to his attention. He sighed in realisation of what had happened, pulling her into his arms again and squeezing her a little tighter as she cried into his shoulder.

“It’s okay, Bee. Everyone has accidents, it’s not your fault.”

“I-I didn’t mean to a-and I d-don’t want mommy and daddy to be angry and I-I don’t w-want M-Matty and Stella to know a-and Mary is asleep a-and- a-and-“ Bridget gasped out through her tears, Danny shushing her and rubbing her back soothingly, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“It’s okay, calm down, me and Steve don’t mind. Don’t worry. We need to get you cleaned up though, Bumblebee. Come on, let’s go and get you some new pyjamas.” Danny assured her, taking her little hand in his own and heading to walk back to her room.

“Is there anything I can help with, Danno?”

“Don’t worry about it, babe. I’ll be back in a minute, just gonna get her changed and back into bed. Go back to sleep if you want.” Danny smiled in response to Steve, knowing that the taller boy couldn’t be much help with his leg, even if he wanted to be.

“Okay. Goodnight, sweetie. I’ll see you in the morning, and we’ll watch a movie or play a game, yeah?” Steve suggested to the girl with a smile, her nodding in response and quickly running over to the bed to give him a hug, which he returned tightly.

“Love you, Stevie.”

“Love you too, sweetie. Now go on, go with Danno. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Steve repeated, Bridget nodding and pulling away from Steve, walking back over to Danny and taking his hand once again, letting him lead her back to her bedroom. 

The blonde pulled out a fresh pair of pyjamas and underwear for Bridget, handing them to her and letting her change herself while he stripped the bed clean, taking the sheets and dumping them in his laundry basket to wash in the morning, along with the soiled pyjamas. 

“Danno, I can’t do the buttons!” Bridget whined from across the room, Danny turning to find her standing there only half dressed, pants on backwards and only one button of the shirt done, but in completely the wrong hole. He simply laughed lightly at the sight, before going over and quickly helping her out.

“Bee?” Mary’s little voice then called out from her bed, the girl sitting up looking confused and still half-asleep, rubbing at her eyes with a balled up fist.

“Sorry sweetie, did we wake you?”

“It’s okay. What’s going on?”

“Bridget just had a bit of an accident, didn’t you Bumblebee? She’s okay, I just need to put new sheets on her bed real fast and then you can both go back to sleep.”

“You can sleep in my bed if you want. It’s really big, and it’d be like a sleepover. I don’t mind.” The youngest McGarrett offered quite excitedly, Danny looking down at Bridget in question, the girl doing the same thing up at him.

“Can I, Danno?”

“It’s up to you, Bee. Do you want to sleep with Mary tonight?” Danny asked her in response, getting a fast nod in agreement from Bridget, and laughing lightly. 

“Okay then, climb up there.” Danny smiled, giving Bridget a boost up into the bed and lying her beside Mary, tucking the two girls a little tighter under the comforter.

“Okay, I’m gonna go back to bed now. Is there anything either of you want before I go?”

“No, Danno.” The two girls replied in perfect unison, making Danny laugh as he nodded to them and ruffled the hair on little Bridget’s head.

Danny then headed back to his and Steve’s room, climbing into bed beside the taller boy once again and smiling to himself as Steve shuffled closer and wrapped himself around Danny.

“Bee okay?” Steve asked through a yawn, snuggling down into Danny’s shoulder as the blonde pressed a kiss to his cheek, and then to his lips.

“She’s fine, babe. Her and Mary are sharing a bed for the night until I change her sheets. She loves having you both here.”

“We’re glad to be here. Really, Danno. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” Steve answered, Danny noting how the boy’s eyes teared up as he held himself a little closer to Danny.

“You’ve helped me just as much as we’ve helped you, Steve. Don’t forget that. You’re amazing.” Danny smiled softly, squeezing Steve a little tighter against his side, and pressing another string of kisses over his head. 

Steve smirked and gave Danny’s shoulder a light shove in response, letting out a small giggle and pressing his lips to Danny’s once more.

“You’re such a softie.” The brunette grinned, Danny rolling his eyes and shoving Steve identically in response.

“You tell anyone, and I withhold kisses for a month. Now come on you big lug, back to sleep before my ma kills the both of us.” Danny answered, barely able to hide his grin until he rolled over, cuddling further into Steve and letting it win over his face as he settled off into a peaceful sleep, safe in the arms of the person he loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always for reading!! I appreciate you all more than you know ~ And your kudos and comments give me LIFE. All my love :) x


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